Getting ready to do a makeover

[Bugpac]

I cant sell my boat, so i think i am going to gut it and start fresh, the transom needs repaired anyhow.. So i am in the planning stage and need some input..

First i need to determine what i need for hatch material, I plan to make all my own hatches on the brake.. I am looking at making a 8' rod locker on each side of the boat, probbaly 12" wide.. For the hatches what do you think is sufficent thickness? .080 or .100 aluminum? there will be no wood at all in the boat when complete..

 

[Waterwings]

Since you have a brake, I'd go with the .100 mat'l, plus make a U-shape channel as bracing underneath the hatch(es), running it length-wise of the hatch. You could stagger weld the brace underneath. Be sure and take some pics of the re-build!

 

[bassboy1]

What sort of brake do you have, on a completely unrelated subject.

 

[Bugpac]

I do not know the brand, it is about 12' long and operates by hand.. I dont know the technical name, we also have a 5' finger brake.. "Break or Brake" however it is said...

Bassboy, whats your take on material thickness, hatches will be no wider than 14" and have a 5/8 or 3/4 lip all the way around..

 

[bassboy1]

'Specially on that 8 foot hatch, I would be using .125. I've successfully used .090 6061-T6 on hatches in the 12 x 16 and the likes range, but they were on a frame of 1 x 1 square (6061 T6 won't bend well at all). On the larger hatches, I put either a middle crossbar out of 1 x 1, or at least a stiffener (not connected to the frame, out of 3/4 angle. Many of the boat companies I see use .090 or maybe .100, but they always feel springy to me. Could just be me being over critical, but I don't like the thinner ones.

 

[Bugpac]

Bassboy, here is a cpl ideas i got, I think i could break the drip edge into the cross member sections, if i did the bends in the right order, leaving .100 for the hatch, and .100 for the rubber seal, id have to adjust that to the actual seal itself, then the other is the cross members..

 

[Bugpac]

Since you have a brake, I'd go with the .100 mat'l, plus make a U-shape channel as bracing underneath the hatch(es), running it length-wise of the hatch. You could stagger weld the brace underneath. Be sure and take some pics of the re-build!

Sorry I didn't respond, Definitely will log the rebuild just as it was a fresh start, well it will be, the only thing i am not doing is steelflex again, the boat is getting completely gutted and remodeled.. Got some big plans for it as to customization... Gonna start gutting next weekend, May start building hatches and crossmembers this week if I get material in..

 

[Waterwings]

8)

 

[Bugpac]

Actually, on my first drawing off the drip edge cross members, I have to add .100 to get the hatch level with the deck, I didn't account for the deck thickness on top of the cross members..

My goal. to have the drip edge built into the boat, so the hatches appear invisible with the deck, except for the hings and gap of course.. No flange that bolt in thru the top to stub toes on

 

[Bugpac]

Another thing if i can draw it, Is my rod lockers will be 8' long and aproximatley 16" deep, and 14" wide, when the hatch is raised there will be a rack affixed to the hatch that will shelf 2 tackle trays high, with 6 rows the length of the hatch, so when raised you will pull the trays vertically from the hatch lid.. Not sure if i will use gas shocks or just a mechanical locking hinge in the center to hold it upright.. either way they will have to disapear when folded in the 5" or so depth of the racks so they don't interfear with the rods underneath... I could realistically house 24 of the 9x14 plano boxes in locked hatches on the boat.. Could do different size compartments in the rack for different boxes, but the base shape will be 10" deep so they don't hit as the hatch is opened.. Just crazy ideas, it will be entirely different than has ever been seen for sure...

 

[Waterwings]

That storage concept sounds like a revolutionary idea to me! Document everything!

 

[Bugpac]

That storage concept sounds like a revolutionary idea to me! Document everything!

Originally I wanted to put seperate compartments for tackle trays, The space in the top of a rod locker is wasted when its deep, if it is shallow, the space under it generally is waisted, why not take advantage... I am actually pretty anxious to get started, A buddy and I have been dreaming this stuff up lately...